User blog:Soi-ke/Mouthless Dead
au |-|Preface= "So, um, where do we go from here?" The Civil War of the Successionists raged for a million years. And within those years, creation has seen the rapid evolution of a carbon-based species into a mechanical one, the utter annihilation of countless worlds, the entire lifespans of minor civilizations and the birth of an interstellar empire. The war was meant to last forever. All seven tribes of Pyrrhians had changed the nature of their beings to reflect a state of conflict - a total war taken to its logical extreme. Warm blood became cold wires, soft scales became metal plates, merchants became soldiers, teachers became soldiers, artists became soldiers... And now, as masters of a million systems and the greatest military force in the galaxy, the Pyrrhians' grand war is over. After all, a thousand thousand years is an awfully long time to fight for, especially over a throne that no longer exists. The three sisters hastily signed a peace treaty, and disappeared from the public eye. A disillusionment has spread throughout much of the Pyrrhian population. "We have always been at war", or so the saying goes. The most ancient Pyrrhians struggle to remember a time when the war wasn't raging on, while the youngest have no conception whatsoever of such a world. And, of course, everyone will have to get an actual job now. But even in a society that has left little room nor time for self-expression, there are those who view the changing times with excitement and curiosity. This age of relative peace may also prove to be an age of rediscovery. GENERAL TERMINOLOGY Pyrrhian - The dominant lifeform of the Pyrrhian Empire. Sometimes referred to as "dragons". They are mechanical winged tetrapods, though historical records indicate that they were formerly organic reptilians. Can be further subdivided into Neopyrrhians (born into a mechanical body) and Remainders (Pyrrhians who have had their “underlying flame” extracted from an organic body and transferred into a mechanical one). They can also be subdivided into seven distinct groups (SkyWings, SandWings, MudWings, IceWings, SeaWings, RainWings, NightWings) with differing abilities. Underlying Flame - The irreducible "self" of a Pyrrhian, serving as both a brain and a power source. Appears as a small gemstone, barely the size of a Pyrrhian's thumb. Often likened to a "soul". Underlying Flames are unique, difficult to create and repair. While damage to the external self can usually be fixed, a wound to the Underlying Flame is almost always fatal. Shell - The external body of a Pyrrhian. Entirely mechanical, but is analogous to an organic being in terms of general structure. Shells are not as crucial to a Pyrrhian as their Underlying Flame - Pyrrhians can easily replace parts of their body, though complete Shell replacement is a procedure inaccessible to all but the wealthiest members of society. The Civil War of the Successionists - The galaxy-spanning war between three SandWing leaders - Blister, Blaze and Burn. The war was fought over queenship of the Sand Kingdom. Was responsible for radical shifts in Pyrrhian society and biology, through the discouragement of self-reflection in favour of efficiency. The three sisters simultaneously declared the war over after a million years, over nine hundred thousand years after the dissolution of the Sand Kingdom. Errandism and Expressionism - Two schools of thought regarding a Pyrrhian's place in society. Errandism prioritizes state duties while Expressionism places more value on personal freedoms. War World - A planet whose natural materials, space and population is entirely (or almost entirely) dedicated to military uses. The natural landscapes of these worlds are enveloped by a layer of mechanical infrastructure, completely obscuring them. Some War Worlds are modified into space-faring vessels, and stolen from their home systems. Colony World - A terraformed world resembling the Pyrrhian home-world. Though interplanetary policies are controlled by the Pyrrhian Parliament, local governors usually have some sway over domestic life on these planets. Any native life is usually wiped out in the process of terraforming. After the civil war, a few War Worlds became Colony Worlds. Sanctuary World - A planet that maintains a Pyrrhian population in addition to another sapient species, but wasn't involved in the war. Pyrrhians who were tired of the war would often attempt to escape to Sanctuary Worlds, where neutrality agreements with other civilizations would make it impossible to punish them. The number of Sanctuary Worlds decreased towards the later days of the war - Pyrrhian technological development and military expansion allowed them to simply destroy civilizations that sheltered deserters. Morrowseer's Test - A series of questions designed to evaluate whether a being is sapient - whether they display intelligence near that of a Pyrrhian. Often accused of being biased against organic species, the test still remains in widespread use, both within and outside of the Pyrrhian empire. |-|Pyrrhians= PHYSIOLOGY The Pyrrhian species is the most ubiquitous lifeform within the Pyrrhian Empire. They possess four terrestrial limbs, the front pair of which are capable manipulators, and two wings that enable flight. The average dragon towers over most other sapient species, though individuals can range massively in size. The greatest strength of the Pyrrhian species is their adaptability. Pyrrhians are known to openly modify their "Shells", replacing parts of their Shells with more specialized instruments. A notable example of this would be the "Hateful From Hatching" (HH) program employed by Blister and Burn, where newborn Pyrrhians were placed within hyper-specialized military bodies. Pyrrhians are one of the few completely mechanical species in the galaxy, having abandoned their organics forms long ago. Despite this, many of their internal components are analogous to those of an organic creature - pipes circulate blood-like fluids throughout the bodies, servomotors relax and contract in a manner that bears more than a passing resemblance to muscles, sensors that are eyes and ears in all but name are mounted within a metal skull. One major difference between the Pyrrhians of today and those of a million years ago is the placement of the brain. Pyrrhians do not possess traditional brains nor hearts for that matter - both lie within their Underlying Flames, a small crystal encased within the center of their bodies. The Flame first and foremost serves as an endless source of energy, allowing Pyrrhians to potentially live forever under their own power. But it is also the central processor of a dragon- the site of mental processes and consciousness. While a Pyrrhian could easily acquire a new arm or head, a Flame is unique and irreplaceable. They are their Flames, and the destruction of a Flame means the death of a dragon. The internal structure of a dragon, while immensely durable compared to an organic body, is significantly more fragile than their outer plating. The pigments of the outer plating are emotionally-reactive, and will change in response to major shifts in mindset and identity - the true colours of a dragon will literally shine through their scales. In the case of a manufactured Shell however, colour changes are rarer and more subtle, as the body has a hard time understanding the mind. A Shell not possessed by a Flame will be a stark white colour. Pyrrhian Shells can be roughly divided into seven tribal groups, each suited for a specific environments and roles. These groups are not hard boundaries - some Shells may have traits associated with multiple tribe-groups ("hybrids") while others may have no special traits at all ("tribeless"). A member of one tribe-group may replace enough parts that they would be better classified as another. Even within tribe-groups, Shells can be very different. ---- SeaWings are dragons who are well-suited to aquatic environments. Their Shells possess intricate ballast systems and internal mechanisms capable of compressing, allowing them to both enter and survive the deepest oceans. Some SeaWings possess blindingly bright spots running along their bodies, theorized to have once been used for primitive communication. IceWings are a tribe-group seemingly designed purely for warfare. Common specializations include long, ridged blades on their extremities, sharp, oscillating spikes around their neck and tail, and the ability to project "doppler beams" from their mouth - laser cooling anything hit to near-absolute zero. Around fifty percent of HHers are patterned after the IceWing body plan. In a time of peace, those with IceWing attributes face image problems, as many Pyrrhians associate them with the war. NightWings are almost synonymous with the scholarly classes, and are over-represented in parliament. Despite this, NightWing shells are generally very unimpressive, with their only specialization being weaker version of a SkyWing's heat-ray. The perception of NightWings as "natural intellectuals" is out of tradition, nothing more. However, one in a million NightWings possess incredibly sensitive hearing, allowing them to "listen" to the electrical impulses within a dragon's Underlying Flame. RainWings were known in the war for their venom-like spit, that causes metal to quickly rust away. They have sensitive pigmentary-plating, and change colours very often. Though dismissed as purely an aesthetic quirk by most, some dedicated RainWings can train themselves to control the hue of their outer plating, letting it serve as a form of limited camouflage. RainWings are the only tribe-group capable of neurocromatics - an advanced form of surgery that uses subliminal messaging to elicit changes in the Underlying Flame. By rapidly shifting colours and patterns, a trained neurocromaticist could, for example, achieve perfect invisibility - convincing the Pyrrhian brain to ignore their presence. SkyWings are incredible fliers - with massive wings and rocket propulsion incorporated into their very anatomy. Some are capable of interstellar travel under their own power. With special plating designed to minimize friction, SkyWing Shells are designed for speed. They have a built-in weapon in their heat-ray, an incinerating beam of plasma that a Skywing can expel from their mouth. In order to accommodate for these specializations, the internal mechanics of a SkyWing are very resistant to heat. Even in a world with space vessels capable of moving galactic distances in hours, the average Pyrrhian feels a sense of awe at a SkyWing's flying abilities. Those with SkyWing attributes are often pressured into the air force, their peers insisting that they shouldn't "waste" their gifts. SandWings Shells are designed for survival. With redundant systems capable of withstanding practically every environmental hazard imaginable, SandWings are well-suited for tasks that even most Pyrrhians would consider too dangerous. They also possess dexterous barbed tails, that can store and inject any variety of viruses or mechano-diseases. Having a SandWing-based Shell often gets one stereotyped as a societal outsider, as most rim planets have substantial SandWing populations. MudWings tend to be built large and strong, with thicker outer plating and more robust servomotors that give them unrivalled physical strength and durability. Their plating is very resistant to heat-based attacks - even a SkyWing's plasma would do little but stagger a MudWing. They are often pressured into being physical labourers, and are disproportionately members of the underclass. Having a Shell with MudWing attributes still restricts entry into most scientific jobs, despite the gains made by anti-sequentialist movements. LIFE CYCLE Every dragon starts life deep beneath Pyrrhia's layers of sterile, mechanical cities. The armour-plated world hides a core of dirt and rock - though organic life has not thrived there for a long time. An eternal, sentient wildfire has utter consumed this hidden world. Once in a while, an ember will be shot out of the great fire, embedding itself into the bottommost city-layer of Pyrrhia, and cooling into a crystal no bigger than a dragon's eye. This crystal is called the Underlying Flame, and is quickly discovered by search parties and placed into storage. Sometimes, a larger Underlying Flame will split into multiple (siblings). Dragons aren't conscious at this stage in their development, and can remain like this for thousands of years if there isn't enough raw material to make more bodies. No matter how long they languish in cold storage however, every Flame eventually finds a Shell. A dragon acquires their initial form in one of two ways. Some Shells are manufactured, mass-produced to meet a societal function. If there was a shortage of miners for example, the Parliament would respond by creating hundreds of specialized digging Shells, and thawing out an equal number of Flames to inhabit them. Manufacturing has come under criticism in recent cycles - many manufactured dragons report a sense of dysphoria with their body, never feeling quite comfortable within their own plating. Manufactured dragons are also more prone to health issues, such as burnouts. Though the Flame is an indefinite reservoir of power, it has a limited output that varies from dragon to dragon. A Flame could be mindlessly shoved into a body too large, too energy-guzzling for it to manage healthily. Other Shells are shaped, influenced by the Flame they are intended for. This is done through the creation of an "egg", a large, complex instrument of malleable metal. The Underlying Flame is inserted into the round device and, over the course of a month, shapes the egg into an ideal body - one that it feels comfortable and fluid in. Shaped dragons generally experience more freedom to pursue certain career paths, as their Shells tend to be less specialized. Afterwards, a dragon enters a week-long "information daze", getting used to moving around in and manipulating their new bodies. They will also rapidly acquire a fluency in standard draconic. Downloadable information packets give them basic life skills and an understanding of Pyrrhian society. Manufactured dragons, hatched to fulfill a specific role, will often receive another packet detailing their fated job, and how to perform it. Afterwards, the dragon's development is complete. They are often either pressured into the workforce or higher education. There are no known cases of dragons succumbing to age-related illnesses, and it is widely believed that a Pyrrhian can live forever. |-|Politics= Before retiring, the three Successionist-Queens acted to reunify the species under a democratic government. Tribal loyalties were at a low point - each sister's army was integrated at this time - enabling a fairly peaceful unification. The Pyrrhian Parliament, dividing the Pyrrhian home-world into 100 electoral districts of relatively equal population, would govern the empire. Those off-world wouldn't get a vote. Since then, four major political ideologies have emerged. The Sixfold Path - A political ideology adhered to by some Pyrrhians, usually those who served in Blister's army during the war. Alleges that species that do not have six limbs (four terrestrial limbs and two wings) should not be considered equals to those who do. As this body plan is exceedingly rare, adherents usually promote xenophobic policies while some radicals propose outright genocide. Closely related to the religion of Hexicism, or worship of the "Six-Limbed God". Adherent politicians currently maintain 21 seats in the Pyrrhian Parliament. Renaissance - Always italicised when written. A political ideology adhered to by some Pyrrhians, with a majority of young (hatched within the last millennia) Pyrrhians identifying with it. Renaissance politicians usually call for increased art spending, freedom of function, as well as better relationships with organic civilizations. Also usually in favour of substantial demilitarization. Representatives of the ideology maintain 40 seats in the Pyrrhian Parliament, and that number is set to rise. Resistance - Always italicised when written. A political ideology adhered to by some Pyrrhians, that sees support from the military classes. After the war ended and Pyrrhian society was unified, many members of parliament began to fear external attacks from vengeful aliens. The collateral damage wrought by the Civil War of the Successionists was massive, wiping out entire civilizations, and most other species hate the Pyrrhian Empire. Resistance politicians call for the military to be maintained, and vehemently oppose any cuts. Some more extreme adherents call for preemptive strikes, and see some overlap with the Sixfold Path. Resistance representatives currently maintain 35 seats in the Pyrrhian Parliament. Sequentialism - A political ideology that sees substantial backing from the financial classes and opposition from manual labourers. It argues for social classes based on tribe-group. Adherents point out how the tribe-groups differ in natural abilities, and believe they should remain in the areas they are naturally most effective in. Also are against self-expression, viewing it as inefficient. Often accused of being deterministic, underestimating the ability of the individual to develop new skills. Sequentialist representatives have only recently been allowed back into parliament following an attempted coup. They currently hold 4 seats. |-|Society= text |-|Cartography= text Category:Blog posts